Critique My Derv Choices

So, I've been playing derv for awhile. Its my favorite

The flash enchant update really made Dervish shine and I've been tinkering since then.

I generally use an Avatar, since I prefer teardown builds, but I have used a Pious renewal Build before (which I found to be lacking the damage of the others).

I've recently decided to try and fit Deep Wound unto my bar, since its pretty awesome and all. Save yourselves also fits into the "damn cool" category.

I have fallen in love with Sand Shards since the update. I also like to use IATS when possible as with a precharge, you can deliver +320 damage in 20 seconds.

So, i'd like you guys to give your opinions of some of the builds below. I'm running a Spiritway team (2 mez, 2 rits, 2 MM necs, HB healer) as backup.[See bottom for the team build]

Here's something incorporating both WS and SY:
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[Wearying Strike][Twin Moon Sweep][Heart of Fury][Balthazar's Rage][Staggering Force][Sand Shards]["Save Yourselves!" (Kurzick)][Avatar of Balthazar]

I was running this last night. First impression was it took awhile to get rolling and most of the mob was dead by the time i was starting to use Deep Wound. SY was used kind of rarely. The second group (if I could run to it quick enough) was easier as I had adrenaline built up, but I found I was not using SY very often. I did not try any extra team support/adrenaline builders as I wanted to see how it did on its own.


the second: OgGjwqp4KTSXBYibzkjbaXmXuX

[Pious Assault][Wearying Strike][Heart of Fury]["I Am the Strongest!"][Zealous Renewal][Staggering Force][Sand Shards][Avatar of Balthazar]

After the slow starting first build, I took out SY and Twin Moon Strike and added Pious assault, which I think is an under-used skill. That enabled me to build adrenaline quicker as well as apply cracked armor right off the start. This build worked much better.

Here's the last, my standard non-deep wound build. Basically an effective AoE teardown: OgGjkirMrSSXibzkjbaXmXygwXA

[Pious Assault][Heart of Fury]["I Am the Strongest!"][Zealous Renewal][Staggering Force][Sand Shards][Aura of Holy Might (Kurzick)][Avatar of Grenth]

This build basically works off the 3sec recharge on pious. Continual disease with Sand Shards as an AoE spike. Zealous renewal is required though for continual energy replacement (you run dry without it), but the build can spam each feeder enchantment as it recharges (which just about works out to 4 seconds in combination). AoHM gives an extra AoE burst when any of them end, including Shards. I sometimes substitue AoBalth in here if I am facing non-fleshy, but the extra 10 leech is really nice.

Anyhow, if you made it this far, I'd love to hear your opinions on how to fit deep wound in there. Any suggestions on team support skills would also be great.

Thanks

EDIT: Here's my Pious Renewal Build just for giggles

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[Pious Renewal][Pious Assault][Pious Fury][Wearying Strike]["I Am the Strongest!"][Mystic Regeneration][Sand Shards][Aura of Holy Might (Kurzick)]

Team build (sometimes use paragon shouts in place of Prot spirit and Aegis)

I'm not at home atm, so i'll be direct with the 2 main problems:

-Double MM is BAD.
-Having a TOUCH Res on the main healer is even worse.

P.S: maybe i'll edit if nobody else will pop up to give better advices for when i'll be back at my PC.

i personally run a N/Rt healer, but if you like the monk, and he doesn't have issues with energy, no prob.

too many minions, i find one MM slows me down since they're always, ALWAYS, late to the party unless you move pretty slow. on my MM, i only use AotL for minions and i don't really feel like there aren't enough of them around, pretty standard MM/prots.

running a melee char, if you're trying to pull and ball, you might want a melee shutdown illusion mesmer, using things like clumsiness and ineptitude. outside of that, i've run similar builds and they worked fine.

you could try running an Avatar of Balthazar teardown build, and get a Paragon hero with They're on fire to reduce damage taken by %. beyond that, i try to run 2 teardown enchants, but then, i often run low on energy.

for Pious Renewal, i've always felt that it did great damage if you ball up enemies, using Pious Assault and Ermite's attack with Sand Shards and Splinter Weapon, you're doing a lot of damage to the group.

only thing i'd really say you should try and fit in, is Fall Back! i think that's one of my favorite skills in the game.

edit: also, paragon can provide Deep Wound with Find Their Weakness. they will cast it on you, but you might want to micro it, since they don't cast it a ton if they aren't at like, full energy. it seems to be a low priority spell for the AI.

Honestly, if you want an easy deep wound, without changing your build, just change one of your heroes to be /Pa, specced into Command and give them "Find Their Weakness!", then have them use it on you. Simple enough.

The Deep Wound won't last too long at low ranks of Command, but enemies will probably be dead in the 5-10 seconds or so it lasts at low ranks anyway, so it's not like you'd need to make a heavy investment in it.

As for fitting it onto your own build, if that's what you wanted in particular, their probably isn't a way to do it without giving up some damage or your elite, that's how builds are balanced. I don't really know much about Dervishes these days (other than what I need to know to protect myself against them), since I've not used them at all since the big update a while back, but, while I realise it increases your damage output, I would have thought you could easily replace "I'am the Strongest!" with some generic deep wound skill quite easily, without otherwise hurting the build, seems it's not the type of skill that would ever really be a key skill to a build working, it just speeds things up.

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